Tuesday, April 15, 2014Cole Stoudt in with Chad Kelly out
By Heather Dinich ESPN.com

Clemson officially will name Cole Stoudt its starting quarterback at a team meeting next Monday, coach Dabo Swinney confirmed in a text message to ESPN.com.

Cole Stoudt completed 47 of 59 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Stoudt quickly became the obvious front-runner to replace record-setting starter Tajh Boyd after Swinney dismissed quarterback Chad Kelly on Monday for conduct detrimental to the team. Stoudt, Kelly and true freshman Deshaun Watson were in a three-way competition all spring until Watson was sidelined for Saturday's spring game with a broken collarbone and Kelly was dismissed.

"It should be pretty obvious that [Stoudt] won the job," Swinney told Fox Sports, which first reported the news. "He's a great leader who is highly respected by his teammates. He never once complained. He was always ready when we needed him. He's earned it and he will be named the starter."

Stoudt, a senior who has played in 22 games, is the most experienced quarterback on Clemson's roster. He is now set to get his first career start in the season opener against Georgia.

Last year, Stoudt completed 47 of 59 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. His completion percentage (79.7) was the best in the nation among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts, and his passing efficiency rating (166.7) was just slightly lower than Boyd's 168.7, which ranked eighth in the nation among QBs who averaged at least 15 passes a game.